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Aesthetic perception of head shapes: Exploring awareness, preferences, and implications for surgery
Seyda Guray1, Ugur Kaan Kalem2
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye.
Objective:
Although much is known about facial aesthetics, the role of head shape remains underexplored. Understanding individuals' awareness, preferences, and interest in cranial aesthetic interventions may guide future approaches.This study aimed to assess Turkish individuals' perception of dolichocephalic, mesocephalic, and brachycephalic head shapes, along with their self-awareness, satisfaction, interest in correction, and preferred methods.
Methods:
We surveyed 100 participants (52 women, 48 men), excluding healthcare professionals, those with cranial surgery histories, and certain bald men. Preoperative lateral profile photographs of a female and a male facial aesthetic surgery patient were obtained. After measuring biparietal distances and establishing cranial indices, these images were digitally modified to represent each head shape type. Using these images, participants evaluated their head shape, satisfaction, awareness, and preferred interventions if considering surgery. Each participant's cranial index was also objectively measured by adjusting posterior cranial measurements for classification. Statistical analyses (SPSS v22) used chi-square tests (p<0.05).
Results:
Cranial index analysis showed 53% were brachycephalic. Overall, 65% were satisfied, 18% dissatisfied, and 17% never considered their head shape. Awareness differed significantly between attentive and non-attentive groups (p<0.001). Mesocephalic identification accuracy (87.88%) exceeded brachycephalic (p<0.00001) and dolichocephalic (p<0.000001). Only 11% considered cosmetic correction (p<0.001), with fat transfer preferred by 50% (p=1.0).
Conclusion:
Head shape influences aesthetic perception. Mesocephalic shapes are favored, while brachycephalic shapes correlate with greater dissatisfaction, potentially raising interest in occipital augmentation. Despite significant awareness differences, low intervention interest suggests the need for broader education and larger, diverse studies to clarify evolving preferences and guide future craniofacial aesthetic practice.
